|
|
Ways Some Use To Get Around The Bible We have just one Bible but we have numerous religions. Some such as Islam and Buddhism are not based on the Bible. Some claim to be following the Bible but are not. So, how do they attempt to get around the Bible? First, you must make the Bible meaningless. Those that believe in the writings of Mohammad claim to be following the real inspired word of God. Therefore, the Bible is meaningless to them. To convert a Muslim or a member from another religion based on something other than the Bible, you must expose their writings as being uninspired. Point out the errors and inconsistencies in their writings. This would be a starting point. Those that claim to be in the inspiration of the Bible must still make it meaningless in order to have another Gospel, Galatians 1.6-8. After all if we have one Bible, one faith, and one body we should all be unified. However that is not what we see in the Christian religion. So, how do we have all of these different doctrines or denominations? Say the Bible is the product of the church! Numerous Catholic writings make this claim. "It is only by the divine authority of the Catholic Church that Christians know that the scripture is the word of God, and what books certainly belong to the Bible." (The Question Box, p. 46) "It was the Catholic Church and no other which selected and listed the inspired books of both the Old Testament and the New Testament...If you can accept the Bible or any part of it as inspired Word of God, you can do so only because the Catholic Church says it is." (The Bible is a Catholic Book, p. 4). What one must understand is that the Bible does not owe its existence to the Catholic Church, but the inspiration of God, 2 Timothy 3.16. Our Heavenly Father revealed Himself by inspiration through the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit after His death. What was the Spirit going to do? "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you" (John 14.26). We also find that the Holy Spirit would reveal all truth, John 16.13. We have the writings of those inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Those writings were completed in the first century. During that time Christians were studying and preserving those sacred writings. The Old Testament made up the Septuagint Bible. While the Septuagint is organized differently from our modern Old Testament, it contained the same material and was completed by 227 B.C. The 27 writings making up the New Testament were recognized as being the inspired word of God. To quote "How We Got the Bible" by Neil Lightfoot: It is no later than the middle of the second century when the apostles' letters became widely read in public meetings, it is no later than the last half of that century when substantial lists of the New Testament books appear. page 84. In 367 A.D. Athanasius of Alexandria published a list of 27 New Testament books which were accepted in his time, and these are the same twenty-seven which are recognized today, page 85. If my understanding of numbers is right, the complete New Testament existed before the formation of the Catholic Church in 606 A.D. Why is this important? Because the Catholic Church claims to be the origin of the Bible and have the ability to tell us what the Bible means. Therefore, what the Church decrees is more important than what the Bible says. This minimizes the importance of the Holy Spirit and the inspired writings. It also makes it possible for the doctrine of the church to change over time, which is what has happened. Another thing the Catholic Church does is tell us the Pope is the head of the Church here upon earth. As the Vicar of Christ he speaks for our Savior. To quote the New York Catechism: "He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author of and the judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by no one, God himself on earth." Again this makes the Bible secondary to the decrees of the Pope. Not one can question the decrees of the Pope. Other religious organizations minimize the Bible by claiming direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It does not matter what we read in the Bible if the Spirit of God, Himself tells me or you something different. The Pentecostals makes such claims. However, for this to be truth the Holy Spirit must have made a mistake. For in 2 Peter 1.3 we read that God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Also, Jude 3 we are told to contend for “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints." Both passages tells us to not expect any future revelations and none will be needed for our salvation. Yet other religious groups will claim to have some type of new revelation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints makes such claims. The reason I am giving them their own special paragraph is because they do not try to base their teachings on the Bible at all. When questioned about which book they will accept above the other they will tell you, the Book of Mormon. Another way is to redefine words so as to allow some new teaching. For instance, redefine baptism to mean sprinkling or pouring. This happened a number of years ago when brethren were dealing in the issue of marriage/divorce/remarriage. When studying Matthew 19.9 some wanted to redefine adultery, others wanted to redefine repentance, and still others wanted to redefine marriage. Much of this was done to allow people to divorce their spouse for reasons other than adultery, marry someone else, and be allowed into congregational fellowship. Word games like these minimize what the Bible teaches. We need to make sure we are using accurate definitions and not our own. Another way some try to get around the Bible is by relying on human traditions. This is not new. Jews, during the days of Jesus. tried to make the Law of God void by their own traditions, Matthew 15.3. While tradition is a powerful motivator, it is not authoritative. We will be judged by God's word, John 12.48, and not by our obedience to our traditions. Finally, some will seek to get around the Bible by ignoring it all together. They will not study it nor rely on its knowledge. They hope to stand before God and go to heaven based on God's goodness and grace. However, they are refusing God's grace right now. "For the law was given through Moses, [but] grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1.17 He who refuses the sacrifice and words of Jesus has no hope of salvation. --Dennis Tucker |